Pride & Prejudice Book Club Podcast

Time for a fan-girl SQUEEEEEEEAL!

 

In this episode, Emilie gets to check another author off her dream guest list as she interviews Amy D'Orazio, a longtime favorite and a true force for good in the Pride and Prejudice variation world. Not only is Amy a talented and beloved author, she’s also the head of Quills and Quartos, an independent publisher that has helped dozens of authors find their footing and thrive in the JAFF publishing world.

 

In this conversation, we cover everything from Amy's origin story (the 1995 BBC Pride and Prejudice while traveling abroad) to the creation of fan-favorite original character Lord Saye, along with how her writing has evolved and what stories may be coming next.

 

Grab your hot cocoa and settle in, book clubbers! (Or, if you're driving, keep your eyes on the road...)

 

And after you listen to this episode, be sure to download Amy's newest release, Officious Interference, available NOW!

 

🎵 Music Credit:
Pride & Prejudice Book Club Theme composed, performed, and arranged by Megan Mason.

📚 See a list of books we've read at prideandprejudicebookclub.com!

➡️ Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, or sign up for our newsletter at https://www.prideandprejudicebookclub.com/newsletter!

[Big spoiler warning on this episode!]

This week we venture into fantasy with Miss Bennet’s Dragon, a gaslamp Regency Pride & Prejudice variation that introduces dragons, mysterious powers, and life or death stakes to the story!

Fantasy isn’t typically Sharon’s genre, but she adventurously dove right into the world-building and dragon lore and discovered it was a lot more fun than she thought it would be! We revel in the quieter, slow-burn romance of this variation, and geek out over Darcy's efforts to communicate to Elizabeth (quietly) how much he cares about her.

The story packs some big surprises, leading to a discussion on how ambition and power reshape familiar characters, and force Elizabeth into morally complex decisions with far-reaching consequences .

If you enjoy Pride & Prejudice variations that take risks, ask big questions, and aren’t afraid to explore darker themes, this episode has plenty to unpack!

This week we're diving head-first into On Equal Ground by Elizabeth Adams, and, surprisingly, we once again find ourselves on very different sides of the emotional fence. Sharon is fully swooning, Emilie is… decidedly not. To be clear, Elizabeth Adams is a phenomenal author, and has penned some of Emilie's favorite stories. This book just happens to combine two of her least favorite tropes 😆

But that's what's great about variations! There's something for everyone!

With a premise that includes Elizabeth being married before meeting Darcy, and then finding herself of elevated status after her tragic loss, there’s plenty to discuss. Grief, second chances, blended families, and what it means to honor a great love while still allowing space for another.

Expect some strong opinions on this one! And as always, we want to hear what you think 😁

🎵 Music Credit:
Pride & Prejudice Book Club Theme composed, performed, and arranged by Megan Mason.

📚 See a list of books we've read at prideandprejudicebookclub.com!

➡️ Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, or sign up for our newsletter at https://www.prideandprejudicebookclub.com/newsletter!

When we started this podcast back in 2023, we never dreamed that we would one day get to meet one of our favorite authors, Jessie Lewis. So it was a huge shock when Jessie not only reached out to say she'd enjoyed the episodes we'd done on her books, but that she would be happy to answer questions about them, too!

And thus, a new type of episode was born. The author interview has now become a bookclub staple (with more great episodes on the way), and our appreciation of authors grows with each and every one!

In honor of Jessie's new book, Room for Improvement, which she co-authored with Amy D'Orazio, coming out on January 26th, 2026, we're re-releasing this episode to give some of our newer listeners a chance to discover it, and hopefuly bring joy to our long-time listeners who already know how fun an interview it was.

[This re-release also mildly improves on the audio quality of the interview, something that has bugged Emilie for a long time....]

We'll be back next week with some more book discussions, but for now, enjoy this throw-back episode of our interview with the amazingly talented Jessie Lewis.

 

🎵 Music Credit:
Pride & Prejudice Book Club Theme composed, performed, and arranged by Megan Mason.

📚 Curious what we will be reading next? See a list of upcoming books at prideandprejudicebookclub.com!

➡️ Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok, or check out our blog and more at https://www.prideandprejudicebookclub.com/!

We had the amazing opportunity to sit down and video chat with beloved narrator Benny Fife, the voice behind hundreds of audiobooks, including many fan-favorite Jane Austen variations. Benny shares how he built a full-time narration career from reading aloud to his kids, how he approaches iconic characters like Mr Darcy, and why dragons, space operas, and alien retellings all have a place in his creative world.

We also discuss networking at JaffCon, the struggles of voice acting with a cold, the evolution of his character choices, and even get a peek into the Pride and Prejudice–in–Klingon project he’s crafting as a true labor of love. If you enjoy behind-the-scenes storytelling, audiobook nerdery, or just want to hear from one of the most expressive voices in the JAFF universe, this episode will make your day.

🎵 Music Credit:
Pride & Prejudice Book Club Theme composed, performed, and arranged by Megan Mason

📚 Curious what we’ll be reading next?
See a list of upcoming books at prideandprejudicebookclub.com

➡️ Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, or sign up for our newsletter at
https://www.prideandprejudicebookclub.com/newsletter